Scared Americans Close Their Wallets on Durable Goods.

Orders for durable goods that are expected to last three years or longer fell 5.7% on March. This was a substantial decline.

For the year, durable goods orders are unchanged from a year ago.

Durable goods purchases indicate the willingness of Americans to buy goods that are not the normal day-by-day goods, which tend to be less subject to swings. Durable goods orders indicate people’s willingness to make longer-term commitments to buy higher-priced goods.

People can usually postpone the purchase of durable goods. So, when orders decline, economists start looking for reasons. A decline usually indicates a growing lack of confidence in the jobs market and the economy in general. People get scared, so they cut back on purchases of non-essentials. If they can postpone a purchase, they do.

Europe is in a recession. Japan is, too. The United States seems to be swimming upstream against an economic slowdown. So, economists look for signs that the international economy is dragging down America’s economy. Is our economy a port in the storm or a sign that the storm is clearing?

Most economists generally think that the USA will avoid Europe’s fate in 2013. But economists as a group never forecast a recession. They always think that economic growth will continue. When the federal deficit is $1 trillion a year and Federal Reserve bond buying is too, Keynesians do not have an explanation for how an economy could move into a recession. They forget about the fact that federal deficits take capital out of the private sector.

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3 thoughts on “Scared Americans Close Their Wallets on Durable Goods.”

Hell, we don't have money to buy anything. These sheer cost of food, gas, etc takes up the bulk of our income. Not to mention meds. The Feds have kept the interest rate low so the government can borrow cheaper. Those of us who are retired depended on a little earnings off our savings to buy things. We're having to spend our savings to live. Everything that Obama does us so counter- productive. He hates the white rich so much that he's taking us all down the drain. He talks about the poor and the middle class so much, but he could care less. He's an absolute joke!